


A Beginning in Eternity

by thekingofcosmos



Category: Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Genre: F/M, Yuletide 2010
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 22:17:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekingofcosmos/pseuds/thekingofcosmos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Alice falls down the rabbit hole again, there's a riddle on a box, and there's a choice that has to be made. Well, a few choices. Some concerning a certain Mad Hatter. [Set post movie]</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Beginning in Eternity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lalaietha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalaietha/gifts).



> *Gasp* I can't believe I actually met the deadline. Hoorah!  
> Special thanks to my beta, Dayna, who I bothered endlessly and who refrained from strangling me. ;)
> 
> Anyway, Merry Christmas lalaietha, I really hope you like it. :D

“You are wearing your stockings this time, aren’t you Alice?” Mrs. Kingsleigh said, as she carefully tucked herself inside the carriage. Alice rolled her eyes as she followed, sweeping her horribly elaborate skirts in after.

“Yes mother,” she sighed.

“And your corset?” her mother added pointedly.

“I’d intended too, but it seems to have disappeared,” Alice said innocently. Mrs. Kingsleigh shook her head, exasperated, but Alice could see the tiny smile playing at her lips.

"You haven’t changed at all,” she said, as the horses began pulling the carriage down the cobblestone road. Alice grinned.

It had been nearly a year since she first set off for China with Lord Ascot and her father’s trading company. In that time, Alice had had an array of strange and wonderful experiences. Sailing across the blue, blue ocean, learning that, though the sight of a headless Jabberwocky did nothing to her stomach, she was in fact very susceptible to seasickness, learning to negotiate plans among men and among people who looked nothing like her, experiencing the richness of a brand new culture…all of it had opened Alice’s mind in a way she’d thought only Underland could.

And the trip, well, Alice supposed the trip had been a success. Their company had gone home with plenty of new goods, but something about the negotiations had seemed...off. She felt as though the Chinese weren’t really being treated fairly. And the way some of the other men spoke about them sometimes, as if the Chinese weren’t as important as they were. It prickled at the back of Alice’s mind and she made a note to have a talk with Lord Ascot about it before their next trip.

It was strange being back in London. Alice had known that things ought to be the same when she returned home, but it was almost startlingly to see just how true this was. The first few days had been slightly out of the ordinary. Alice had shared a surprisingly tearful reunion with her mother and spent hours recounting the tales of her travels, both to her mother and to the many visitors who came to call. However, by the end of the first week, Alice had fallen back into the routine monotony of life in the Kingsleigh house. And now, two weeks later, Alice and her mother were once again riding in a coach, on their way to an engagement party at Lord and Lady Ascot’s estate. This time, however, the engagement was between Hamish and Fiona Chattaway. Or was it Faith Chattawy? The two cheeky sisters were so alike that Alice, try as she might, really could not remember which.

Alice leaned her head back against the carriage wall and looked out the window. Trees and grand houses sped by in the semi-dark of the evening and Alice had a sudden vision of deep green trees whizzing past at a much faster pace as she held tightly to the soft fabric of an enormous top hat, utterly terrified as she flew over a lake.  
Alice smiled at the memory.

There was one thing about the party that she was looking forward to: the chance to wander the Ascot’s grounds. The chance to look for a rabbit hole.

~*~

Alice let out a deep sigh of relief as she finally, finally slipped out of the Ascot’s ballroom, out the back door, and into the moonlit garden. She had just spent the past hour exchanging pleasantries and dancing quadrilles and was, by now, dying, to get to Underland. Dancing with all those stuffy men had suddenly made her long for the chance to spend some time with a man who was a little bit mad.

Alice walked slowly through the rose garden, peering closely at the bottom of each tree for some sign of the rabbit hole. ‘I know it was somewhere around here,’ she thought, as she passed the gazebo where Hamish had once asked for her hand. She continued down the garden path until she came upon a large pond, silently reflecting the moon and sparkling with the light of the stars. Alice stopped walking and looked around quizzically. “Where am I,” she wondered aloud. She knew for fact that this was not the path she’d taken the first time. Alice groaned. “Of course it would be like this. When I don’t want to go to Underland, I go tumbling into rabbit holes left and right! Now that I actually want to go....” Alice let out a sigh and turned back towards the house.

A flash of orange hair and impossibly wide green eyes invaded her thoughts.

“Alright Alice, you can’t give up yet,” she said sharply. With determined steps, she started back up the path. “Maybe if I just...” she began, stepping toward a thick tree with knobbly roots and then the earth was suddenly gone from beneath her feet and she was falling through the dark.

~*~

Falling headfirst onto the checkered floor of that low-lit, circular room still hurt like nobody’s business. This time though, Alice made quick work of scraping herself off the floor and of stretching and shrinking herself. She made sure to tuck a bit of cake into the now tattered and overstretched folds of her dress before unlocking the small door. Alice turned the knob and looked out with a triumphant smile.

Underland looked just as amazing as Alice remembered. The lush array of towering, wide leaf plants and colorful flowers looked brighter though, happier. Alice wasn’t surprised; the plants had felt the dark effects of the Red Queen’s reign too, even the ones that didn’t talk.

“My, my, it has been a while since I’ve seen that curly head of hair. It’s so very conspicuous. If only you had better evaporating skills, my dear.” The wide, pointy toothed smile appeared before the rest of the large striped cat did. Alice gave a smile of her own and scratched his floating head.

“I suppose I can’t be good at everything Chessur,” she told him mildly. Chessur laughed.

“Nobody is dear,” he said. A fond little glint appeared in his eyes. “But it is wonderful to see you Alice.”

“And you,” Alice said and she meant it. She had missed all of her Underland friends terribly. Especially...

Chessur vanished.

“Chessur, wait!” Alice exclaimed indignantly. The sly cat appeared several feet away, hovering over a sleeping rose.

“Don’t just stand there. Don’t you want to go to the castle?” He continued floating down the path.

“Well you could have said that,” Alice huffed. She fished out her piece of cake and took a bite, returning to her usual size, before tying up her dress and setting off after him.

The two traveled for several hours, passing through dense forests and dusty plains, before finally arriving at the White Queen’s castle. As Alice and Chessur approached the large ivory doors, excited shouts of “Alice!” reached their ears.

“Seems someone was watching from the balcony,” Chessur remarked languidly. “You might want to take a step back my dear,” he added. Before Alice could ask why, the heavy doors burst open and she found herself promptly being knocked over and enthusiastically licked by the Bandersnatch.

“Ooph, it’s good to see you too,” she wheezed, gently pushing him off. The feral looking creature let out a happy little growl and jumped back.

“Alice!” Alice got to her feet and was met with the sight of the White Queen rushing toward her. The beautiful, pale woman enveloped Alice in a hug. “Oh I’m so glad you’ve returned. Come, let’s get you out of those ruined clothes. Everyone will be so pleased to see you.” She tugged Alice into the castle, Chessur and the Bandersnatch following behind.

Alice saw many of her old friends as she walked the white halls of the castle, all of whom greeted her enthusiastically: McTwisp, Mallymkun, the Tweedles, everyone except for...

“Tarrant has been ever so down since you left,” Mirana said as she gracefully opened the doors to the same grand white bedroom Alice had slept in during her last visit.

“He has?”

“Oh yes,” Mirana said, fluttering over to the wardrobe and picking out an ornate white dress. She laid it out across the bed. “He’s barely made any hats this year, and the ones he has made look nothing like his usual work. He spends a great deal of time moping around his room.”

“That’s awful!” Alice had never imagined that her departure would upset him that much. “Can I see him?”

“Of course. His room is at the end of this hallway. When you’re done speaking with him though, I’d like you both to join me in the main dining room. There’s something I need your help with.”

“My help?” Alice asked, surprised. “What is...?”

“I’ll explain everything during dinner. See you then.” She gave Alice one last warm smile and left the room.

Alice sat down on the large ivory bed, thinking. She hoped there wasn’t some horrible new threat to Underland or anything like that. As she stood and slipped off the remains of her dress, her mind turned to Hatter again. She’d thought about him a lot since she’d left Underland, both while in China and back at home. There was no denying that he was the person she’d missed the most. And now she was going to see him again. She began changing faster, quickly putting on the dress Mirana had laid out for her. She took a quick glance at her reflection in the wardrobe mirror and paused.

Alice had changed, albeit subtly, in a year. Her face was slightly more angular, her blond curls a few centimeters shorter. Her body looked a little different as well, her hips slightly wider and more defined than they once were. ‘More like a woman,’ she thought. The idea made her feel strange, like she was realizing something she shouldn’t.

Alice shook her head.

She was being silly. She pointedly looked away from the mirror and rushed out of the room. She hurried down the corridor until she reached the door to Hatter’s room. She felt her heart beat speed up as she raised her hand and knocked. “Come in,” said a soft, familiar voice. Alice pushed open the door.

Hatter was standing, head bent over a wide table covered in fabric and half finished hats, obviously working. His hat was off and his bright orange hair was sticking up in all directions. Alice was hit with a sudden rush of affection for him. “Hatter,” she said softly.

The Mad Hatter froze. He very slowly lifted his head, until his wide, wide green eyes were locked on Alice. “Alice,” he said, eyes widening further. He dropped the hat he was working on and climbed straight over the table, knocking down hats and rolls of fabric in his wake, before jumping down to come face to face with her. He stared closely at her, as though he didn’t trust his own eyes.

Alice beamed at him. Before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. “I’m so happy to see you, Hatter,” she exclaimed. Hatter stiffened for a moment and then relaxed in her embrace. Alice felt his arms awkwardly move up and around her. It occurred to Alice just then that she had never actually hugged him before. She pulled away, slightly embarrassed. “Sorry,” she said.

“No it’s fine, very fine in fact,” Hatter said. He still looked like he didn’t believe she was actually there. “Alice. And you still remember me, which is very, very nice, especially since your the right proper Alice size and...”

“Hatter!” The Mad Hatter abruptly stopped rambling.

“Thank you,” he coughed. Alice laughed.

“I told you I’d be back before you knew it,” she said as Hatter moved to close the door. He turned back to her, a strange expression on his face.

“Yes,” he said slowly. “Except, I did know it.” He scurried back to the table and picked up his hat, twirling it nervously between his fingers. Alice walked over to him.

“Hatter?” she asked. She laid one of her hands on his. The Hatter shook his head.

“It’s nothing. I just...I missed you very much,” he said.

“So did I,” The Hatter smiled and that same fondness she had seen in Chessur’s eyes appeared in his. Only, seeing the expression on Hatter made her blush slightly. Hatter apparently noticed the change in Alice color and his expression quickly morphed into one of concern.

“Alice, are you quite alright? You’re looking unusually pink.”

“I’m…” Alice began, but the sound of the door opening cut her off. Both she and Hatter turned to see McTwisp in the doorway, dressed in his usual waistcoat and holding his pocket watch.

“I am sorry to interrupt, but the Queen requests that you come down to dinner, now,” he said.

“Of course,” Alice said quickly. “Come on then, Hatter.” She pulled the hat from his hands and placed it on his head. The Hatter smiled again and they both followed the White Rabbit out into the hall. As they began descending a large marble staircase, Alice let out a small sigh of relief. ‘Why am I reacting so oddly today?’ she wondered. No one had ever made her blush just by looking at her before. In fact Alice rarely blushed at all. ‘I’m just adjusting to being back in Underland,’ she assured herself, as they reached the bottom of the staircase and McTwisp lead them down another stark white hallway. She snuck a quick glance at Hatter. ‘Yes, that’s all it is. Nothing else.'

McTwisp stopped at an open doorway, not far from the entrance to the castle. “The dining hall,” he announced, before hopping inside. Alice and Hatter followed.

The large high-ceilinged room was just as white as the rest of the castle, but it was adorned with colorful paintings and around the room stood marble statues of chessman. There was an incredibly long table in the center, at the head of which sat Mirana. Chessur, Mallyumkun, the Tweedles, and Bayard were all seated on either side of her, along with some of her courtiers. They all looked up as McTwisp entered.

“Ahh, thank you Nivens,” Mirana told the rabbit warmly as he took his seat. “Come you two, sit.” Alice sat down beside Bayard and the Mad Hatter took the seat beside her. One of the queen’s pale attendants set a plate food in front of each of them.

“Ahem.” The White Queen cleared her throat and stood. “Now that everyone is here, there’s something I need to tell you all about. Bring out the chest.” Another one of the attendants appeared, carrying a large, ornate metal box.

“What’s inside?” Alice asked, standing up to get a better look at the box. She noticed everyone else doing the same.

“Something of great importance, “ Mirana said seriously. “A special object that my father had sealed away, only to be opened by someone with great wisdom.” She pointed to an inscription on the top. “There’s a riddle on it you see. If the riddle is solved, the box will open. But no one has ever been able to do so.”

The Hatter leaned over and peered closely at the inscription on the box. “What does it say?” Malyumkun asked, the fierce little mouse jumping up and down in her seat.

“It says,” began the Hatter, “‘I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space. The beginning of every end, and the end of every place.’” He looked up. “My, what could that be?”

“That’s a right impossible riddle, that is,” remarked Tweedledee.

“Well, it wouldn’t be if it wasn’t,” Tweedledum countered. Everyone suddenly began speaking at once, all trying to come up with at theory as to what the riddle could mean. Alice sat back down in her seat and thought.

“The beginning of eternity...” she repeated. She looked at the box, feeling just as confused as everyone else. “If we at least had one more clue,” she said loudly. Suddenly, the inscription on the box began to change. Alice gasped and stood up again. “Look, the words are changing!” Everybody stopped talking and watched in shock as the new messaged appeared.

“What did you do?” Mirana asked. Alice shook her head.

“I don’t know. I just wished we had another clue.”

“Looks like it heard your request, love,” said Chessur, appearing at Alice’s side as she bent down to read the new inscription.

“It says, ‘The end of you’” Alice looked up. “What does that mean?”

“It doesn’t sound very good to me,” said McTwisp nervously.

“Is it saying that opening the box means the end of Alice?” asked Bayard.

“Well then that box can very well stay closed,” said the Hatter decisively. Alice felt herself blush again, but quickly pushed the feeling away.

“I don’t think it can be anything as drastic as that,” Alice said slowly. She turned to Mirana. “You said your father made the riddle. He can’t possibly have wanted me dead, he didn’t even know me.” Mirana nodded.

“Agreed. The contents of the box are important, but not harmful. Of that I am sure. It most likely means ‘you’ in the general sense of the word.” She gave Alice a reassuring smile before turning back to the table at large. “So, now that all of you have heard the riddle and Alice has secured us an extra clue.” At that, she beamed at Alice again. “What is the answer?” Everyone looked at each other.

“Er, the sun?” Mallyumkun tried. From there, the assembled group volunteered an array of increasingly strange answers, but the chest remained stubbornly locked. Finally, they gave up for the night and decided to try again in the morning.

“I wonder what’s inside the box,” Alice said as she and Hatter climbed the stairs to return to their rooms. She turned to Hatter. “Do you think it’s some magical potion or something like that?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Hatter said quietly as they passed a large window. The moonlight filtered through the panes and cast an eerie shadow over his pale face. Alice stopped walking and turned to face him.

“Hatter, what’s wrong? You’ve been quiet ever since we left the dining hall.” From what Alice remembered, whenever Hatter slipped into a particularly melancholy mood, he would often revert to a strange, darker persona. She didn’t want that to happen to him again.

Hatter didn’t say anything for a moment, simply looking back at her. Alice noticed that the corridor was completely quiet and empty save for the two of them. The thought made her heartbeat quicken like it had right before she knocked on Hatter’s door earlier that evening. “I still don’t like the sound of that clue,” he said finally.

“But Mirana said the box was harmless,” Alice reminded him. She didn’t see why it would still worry him after that.

“It said the ‘end of you,’ That doesn’t sound harmless to me.” He crossed him arms. Alice sighed and once again laid a hand over his.

“Hatter, I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.” Rather than reassure him though, her words seemed to do the opposite. The Hatter took a step back and, as she watched, his eyes began to glow orange.

“But you will leave eventually,” he said, and Alice shuddered at the dark, almost Scottish timbre in his voice. “You’ll go back to your own world again. That box may not be the end of you, but it’ll still happen. Won’t it?” Alice wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Hatter,” she asked, a little hesitantly. At once, the fire receded from the Mad Hatter’s eyes and they reverted back to their usual bright green.

“I’m fine. Sorry. Goodnight Alice.” Alice barely had a chance to form a response in her head, before he rushed down the corridor and disappeared into his room. Alice stared at the closed door for a moment, confused, before heading off to her own room. Once she was inside, she collapsed on the huge ivory bed and stared up at the ceiling.

‘What…just happened?’ Alice wondered. The conversation with Hatter had left her feeling very confused. In fact the entire day had left her feeling confused. As much as she wanted to pretend that it was merely due to her sudden return to Underland, she knew there was much more to it than that.

Alice had no problem admitting that she adored Hatter. She loved how wonderfully strange he was and how he, despite being half mad, was still incredibly smart and brave. But, from the way she’d felt seeing him today, the way he’d made her face flush and her heartbeat speed up....

Alice tilted her head to the side as if trying to see the situation from another angle. “Do I...fancy Hatter?” she asked the empty room. She half-expected something to respond, but the room remained silent, save for her own breathing. However, saying the words out loud made them seem...not as impossible as they had in her head. “Huh.” Alice sat up. When she really thought about it, it made sense. She’d always felt deeply attached to the Mad Hatter and he had always been the first person to pop into her head whenever she thought about Underland. Maybe she had only viewed her feelings as deep friendship before because she hadn’t quite realized that she was a full grown woman yet. But now....

“I fancy the Hatter. Tarrant. I like him.” Alice couldn’t help but smile. And, judging by the way he spoke to her and the reactions he had, she was willing to bet that the Mad Hatter fancied her back. A part of her wanted to jump out of bed and tell him right then, but the fatigue of the day, coupled with the stress of her revelation hit her like a wave, and before Alice knew it, she was asleep.

~*~

Alice felt like jumping out of her skin. For all that she was ready to tell the Hatter how she felt the night before, seeing him in the light of morning had sent apprehension straight through to her bones. Every time she felt like telling him, her nerves would get the better of her. To make matter worse, now that she really knew how she felt, everything about him, from the happy way he greeted her in the morning to the way his orange eyebrows stuck out, just made him seem all the more weirdly attractive to her. It made her more eager to confess, but even more hesitant to do so.

‘So,’ Alice thought sardonically, as she and everyone else sat in the dining hall that evening, once again trying to figure out the answer to the riddle on the White Queen’s box. ‘I’m brave enough to slay the Jabberwocky, but not brave enough to tell a man how I feel about him? Come on Alice!’

But Alice knew that it wasn’t fear that her feelings wouldn’t be returned that had her walking in the opposite direction whenever she saw Hatter during the day. Alice had never really had feelings for anyone before. How exactly did one even go about being in a relationship? And worse yet, what would Alice do when she did eventually leave Underland. The Hatter had made it very clear the night before that he would be upset once she left again. Would actually being together just make them both feel worse when she did leave?

“You could stay.”

The Hatter’s hopeful words from the last time she left flitted through Alice’s mind. Maybe she should stay. Alice loved Underland, loved the people and, the magic of it. And if she stayed, she wouldn’t have to worry about her mother possibly bringing up marriage again or the bothersome way the company treated the foreigners they traded with.

‘And I could stay with Hatter.’

Alice looked at the orange haired man beside her. He was busy listening to what Mirana was saying about the box, but when he noticed her looking, he gave her a quick smile. Alice smiled back. ‘I’ll tell him tonight,’ she decided. ‘And then I’ll decide whether or not I’m staying.’ She turned away from him and directed her attention back to the box.

‘I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space. The beginning of every end, and the end of every place....The end of you. The clue didn’t worry Alice so much. She was certain that if Mirana truly thought opening the box put Alice in any danger, she would stop trying. Still, Alice couldn’t figure out what any of it meant. Every answer she or anyone else had tried had failed to produce any result and she could see that the queen was becoming discouraged.

As the group disassembled for the night, Alice once again fell into step with the Mad Hatter. Forcefully pushing down her nerves, Alice cleared her throat.

“Hatter, there’s something very important I need to speak with you about,” she said seriously. The Hatter looked slightly worried.

“Is something wrong Alice?” he asked.

“Well no. But I need to tell you in private.” The Mad Hatter’s expression changed to one of confusion.

“Well I can’t imagine why you can’t just tell me here, but if you insist that it be private...” he lead Alice up the stairs and back up to his room. Once they were inside, he closed the door and turned to Alice expectantly.

Alice took a deep breath.

“IthinkIwanttobewithyouHatter!” Alice had really intended for that to come out as separate words. Really. Nevertheless, Hatter stiffened and Alice knew that he had understood. She took another breath and repeated herself anyway. “I mean, I want to be with you Hatter. Romantically,” she added, for good measure. She let out a breath and sat down on the bed.

Hatter stared, green eyes wider than ever.

Alice waited some more. Even the wind blowing in from Hatter’s open window quieted..

“I....,” the Hatter began, “I don’t think that’s very wise of you Alice,” he said finally, looking down at his hands. Alice shot back up, surprised.

“But, why not? You feel the same...don’t you? You’ve always acted like you did. I didn’t quite see it before, but now I do!” The Hatter turned away and walked over to his worktable.

“Alice,” he said, not looking at her. “I’m mad. I’m old and mad and not at all fit for someone as lovely as...”

“Don’t,” Alice said sharply, cutting him off. She walked up to him, making sure that they’re eyes met before she continued. “Don’t try and say I’m too anything. Don’t you dare try and decide what’s good for me.” She let her voice soften as she took his hands between her own. “Besides, didn’t we both agree that I was half-mad too?”

Hatter looked down at their hands, then back at Alice. “I...yes, I do believe we did agree on that once.” He turned her hands over so he could grasp each one in her own. “I would.... very much like to be with you too, Alice,” he told her, almost shyly. Alice grinned.

‘There,’ she thought as the Hatter offered up a grin of his own, ‘That wasn’t hard at all, now was it. And now...’ Alice took a deep breath and took a deliberate step forward. The Hatter’s eyes began to widen again.

“Alice?” he asked. The moonlight streaming the window made his eyes seem brighter and therefore even more confused.

“Hatter,” she responded quietly.

“Ah, what are you doing?”

“I’m going to kiss you now,” she announced. She angled her lips toward Hatter’s, completely unsure of what she was doing, but terribly excited all the same.

“Oh, well that’s a very agreeable course of action from you Alice,” he rambled, hands tightening around hers as she continued to lean in. “And especially considering how you….”

They’re lips met.

Alice’s heartbeat sped up like a steam engine. She was kissing Hatter. She was having her first kiss with the Hatter. If anyone had told Alice this would be happening a few days ago, she never would have believed it.

One of the Mad Hatter’s arms encircled Alice’s waist, while his other hand cupped Alice’s cheek. After a few moments, he pulled back. “Alice,” he said, staring at her with an expression she’d never seen before. “My strange, wonderful, A-L-I-C-E, Alice,” Alice grinned, lips still humming from the kiss. And then she froze.

The Hatter frowned. “What’s wrong,” he asked, but Alice was barely listening. The wheels were turning in her head and suddenly Alice knew the answer.

“That’s it!” she exclaimed, jumping out of Hatter’s grasp. “Hatter you are a genius!”

“A genius? What...” Hatter began, but Alice was already rushing out of the room. Hatter had just helped her solve the riddle.

Alice ran down the main staircase and through the maze of white hallways, courtiers staring after her in confusion, until she reached the throne room. She skidded to halt in front of the White Queen, who stood up in surprise.

“Alice dear, what...”

“I know the answer to the riddle,” Alice said breathlessly, as the Hatter, as well as everyone else who had seen her running through the palace corridors, rushed in to see what was going on. At Alice’s words, they all gasped.”

“Well, out with it girl!” Mallyumkun cried.

“Wait,” said the queen. She turned to one of her attendants. “Bring out the chest.” Once the box was in the room, everyone gathered around it expectantly. “Alright Alice, go ahead.” The Hatter very inconspicuously caught up one of Alice’s hand as she began to speak.

“Well,” Alice began. “What really helped me find the answer was the clue. ‘The end of you.’ It turns out that it really was referring to me.” She turned to the box and said very clearly, “The letter E. It’s at the beginning of the word eternity, at the end of the words time and space, it’s always at the beginning of the word end, at the and of the word place, and it’s the last letter of my name, Alice.”

All at once, the sound of a lock turning filled the room and the lid of the box slid back with a resounding thud. Everyone let out a cry of delight.

“You’ve done it!” Mirana exclaimed. She pulled Alice into a hug. “I knew you could figure it out Alice!”

“But how did you figure it out, dear?” Chessur asked, suddenly appearing beside Alice and Mirana. “That box was trickier than I am.”

“Well,” she said, as Mirana finally released her. “A few minutes ago, Hatter spelled my name. After that, I knew.” She gave him a fond look. “He’s the reason I figured it out.” The Hatter let out a little cough, obviously embarrassed.

“Yes, well…. Your Highness, what was so important about opening the box?” he asked, completely changing the subject. At this though, everyone turned back to Mirana and the box, suddenly curious.

The queen smiled before kneeling down and reaching into the chest. She pulled out a large red pouch and held it up.

“What is it,” Alice asked. Everyone leaned forward eagerly. The queen carefully loosened the drawstring on the pouch.

“This,” said Mirana, reverently, “Is a bag of the best tea leaves to ever be found in the history of Underland.” She looked incredibly pleased.

The entire group got very, very quiet.

Alice nearly fell over.

Mirana looked around, confused at everyone’s expressions. “What?”

~*~

“Well it was very good tea,” the Mad Hatter reflected as he and Alice walked hand in hand along the palace garden later that night. After everyone had recovered from the shock of learning that they had spent two days obsessing over a riddle for some tea, the White Queen had brewed a pot. After a few cups, the crowd felt considerably less upset.

“It was,” Alice admitted, “But it was still a bit of a let down.” She sighed.

“Well,” Hatter said, “At least we know the clue didn’t mean anything bad, now. Alice is safe.”

“As Alice promised,” she teased. The Hatter smiled, but it soon slipped into a frown.

“But you will leave eventually,” he said quietly, stopping and turning so that the were facing each other. Alice looked down.

“I don’t really know yet,” she admitted honestly. She looked up. “I want to stay. But I just don’t know if I can.” The Hatter nodded.

“I know,” he said. He paused for a moment, before leaning down and pressing his lips to Alice’s again. Alice kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Alice wasn’t sure what to choose. Overland was her home, where her family was and the trading company. But here in Underland, there was wonder and there was Hatter.

And Hatter, well, Hatter’s arms felt more like home then home ever had.

Fin.


End file.
